Real Madrid fans might have been wondering if they had the latest Brazilian starlet ready to make his bow at the Santiago Bernabeu, but it appears his turn will have to wait.
The 18-year-old Vinicius Tobias was called up by Carlo Ancelotti after Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal sustained injuries, but against Villarreal and then Athletic Club, the Italian opted to use Nacho Fernandez instead.
Tobias is highly-rated, but Real Madrid remain uncertain on whether he will stay the club. After the Ukraine-Russia war broke out, the recently arrived Tobias agreed a loan move from Shakhtar Donetsk to Real Madrid until the end of the 2022-23 season, with an €18m option to buy.
Shakhtar chief Sergei Palkin has told Marca that he could well head back to Ukraine though.
“Last year we signed a loan agreement with an option to buy. A month ago we contacted Madrid because we were interested in having him back. We told Madrid that if they didn’t need him, we would have him.”
“They told me that they want him until the end of the season and we will make a decision at the end of the season. We get along well with Madrid.”
Tobias is yet to make his first-team debut, although he did travel on their preseason tour. He has been a regular at Real Madrid Castilla under Raul Gonzalez, starting 90% of their games and giving four assists. Clearly Los Blancos are still unsure as to whether they want to commit that much money to a deal though, which is understandable for a player who is yet to make a senior appearance in European football.
